Police have arrested a father after he shot and killed his adult son with Down syndrome. The Texas man claimed that he mistook his son for an intruder.
Videos by Wide Open Country
However, the Texas man later burned his son's body and disposed of the remains. According to 68-year-old Michael C. Howard, the slaying was accidental. He said that he was at home in East Texas when he accidentally killed his 20-year-old son, Mark Randall Howard, with a shotgun.
The killing happened on Sunday. But Howard didn't call authorities until Monday afternoon. What did the Texas father do in the time between? He loaded his son's body on a backhoe and took it 2 miles to a remote area on his property. The Texas lawyer then cremated his son.
Further evidence showed that Howard's story (at least in regards to the cremation) was correct. Authorities found human remains in the trash pile. They found bits of bone and other parts in the burn pit.
Texas Father Kills Son With Down Syndrome
Howard confessed to killing his son but called it a "horrible accident." But why burn the body? Well, Howard said he "cremated his son in accordance with what he felt his son would have wanted."
The sheriff considers the crime to be very bizarre.
"It is a bizarre crime anywhere you are just because of the nature of the event," Sabine County Sheriff's Office Deputy J.P. MacDonough said. "Mr. Howard committed this act and in the furtherance of that, burned the body and cleaned the crime scene, which as an investigator, I would take as indicative of nefarious purposes or for nefarious purposes."
Although Howard's son had Down syndrome, he was considered high-functioning. The son held his own job. Prior to the fatal shooting, Howard did report thefts at his property. Authorities responded to reports that someone stole Howard's lawn mower and also a trailer.
It's possible that the father got paranoid about further theft, and that may have played a role in the fatal shooting. Right now, he's in jail on a $20 million bond. They've charged the Texas father with both murder as well as tampering with evidence.
